Subway-themed sports shoes are just the ticket for Berliners

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BERLIN (Reuters) - Dozens of sports shoe enthusiasts stormed Adidas stores in Berlin on Tuesday to snatch a pair of shoes launched in collaboration with the public transport network that incorporate the same pattern as the subway’s seats, as well as an annual ticket.

Adidas is selling just 500 pairs of the shoes for 180 euros ($220) each to coincide with the 90th anniversary of the Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) public transport company.

The shoes - an updated version of the EQT shoes originally launched in 1993 that were popular with east Germans after the fall of the Berlin Wall - have a season ticket valid for 2018 sewn into the tongue of the shoes, normally worth 730 euros.

“How cool is that?” said BVG chairwoman Sigrid Nikutta. “It’s great that the BVG, which is celebrating its 90th birthday this year, is now becoming a style icon itself.”

The Berlin public transport company has revamped its image in recent years with a series of quirky ads and social media campaigns that have gone viral. It already sells bags and other accessories with its swirling red, black and blue seat pattern.

“I already have a buyer who will pay 850 euros,” said Nikita Dutschenko, a young man who said he was missing school to wait in line with dozens of others who camped out overnight in sub-zero temperatures. “You can make good money out of it.”

Rival Nike has previously collaborated with the London underground on several sneaker lines using its patterns and fonts, including to mark its 150th anniversary in 2013.